There are several significant changes from the previous version of this document (Conditions of Registration (Apprentices) 2023/24). These are:
a. General restructuring of the document. This includes moving The Open University’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion commitment statement and the “Conditions of Registration superseded by this document” section to the end of this document.
b. Information about Safe Space Reporting has been added to end of the document. References to the OU Students Association have been amended to Open University Students Association (OUSA) within the section ‘The Open University Study Charter Values'.
c. Clarification that the Conditions take priority if an Open University employee or agent has said something inconsistent either in writing or verbally, in clause A1.1d.
d. Clause A4.1a requires you to understand the conditions and to contact your Apprentice Enrolment and Support Team (AEST) if you do not understand or have any questions about the Conditions of Registration for Apprentices.
e. The Open University will keep records of your academic progress which has been reflected in clause A6.1.
f. Clause A6.2 has been updated to include reference to The Open University’s Retention Policy.
g. The Open University use and process your personal information created as a result of your study, as detailed in clause A6.2.
h. Additional information in clauses A7.2 and A7.4 about how The Open University will communicate with you and support you if there is industrial action.
i. Clause A7.4 has been updated to clarify that online schools, field schools, lab schools or alternative learning environments are subject to short term changes.
j. Clause A8.2 has been updated to highlight that a Welsh language version of the Welsh Language Standards Complaints procedure is available.
k. Addition of clause B1.3 providing information about additional charges of residential schools.
l. Revised wording in clause C1.1i about your obligation to engage with the Fitness to Study policy if requested, although the message given has not changed.
m. Clarification in clause C1.1j that you could be expelled or suspended from the professional programme when a Fitness to Practise Procedure is being followed.
n. References to the Code of Practice for Student Assessment have been removed from clause C2.1. This document is being decommissioned from the Student Policy and Regulations website. The information will be incorporated into the Assessment Policies
o. Section C3 “The Residential School” now includes information on online schools, day schools, field schools and lab schools, in addition to residential schools.
p. Removal of what was clause D3.5, which detailed that cancellation charges could apply if a residential school booking was cancelled.
q. Section C7 “Off the job hours” has been updated to apply to Apprentices in Wales.
r. Updated references to the Code of Practice for Student Discipline in clause E2.1k and section K3 “Failure to disclose”.
s. Addition of clause F2.3 detailing your responsibility in keeping your Open University account secure.
t. Section G4 “Students living in Wales” has been updated with a link to the Language Preferences form.
u. Addition of clause J3 in Section J “Affiliation with Third-Party Organisations”.
v. The procedure for disclosing any unspent criminal convictions has been removed from Section K “Disclosing criminal convictions, legal restrictions, and conditions”. Instead you should refer to the Supporting Students subject to legal license, restriction, condition, or orders policy document for the procedure.
w. Section K4 clarifies that you will not be required to make a self-disclosure unless explicitly stated within the Supplementary Agreement for your programme.
x. References to the European Social Fund (ESF) has been removed throughout as it is no longer applicable.
y. References to The Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (CTER) have been added as it will replace the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) in April 2024.
z. Update to the Glossary term ‘Apprenticeship Frameworks’ to include Northern Ireland.
aa. Update to the Glossary term ‘Apprenticeship Programme’ to include Northern Ireland.
bb. Additional clarification in the Glossary definition of “Credit/Credits” as to why some modules have a zero-credit value.
cc. Update to the Glossary term ‘End-Point Assessment’ – to include Northern Ireland.
dd. Revised definition of “Redundancy” in the glossary to provide greater clarity, without changing the message
